Life on two wheels

Lessons learned

Joe Dawes applies the lessons learned over a lifetime of motorcycling to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses he teaches at Midlands Technical College.

Photo by Andrew Haworth

Joe Dawes

AGE: 60

HOMETOWN: Columbia

OCCUPATION: Rider coach and defensive-driving instructor at Midlands Technical College; former state coordinator of the South Carolina Motorcycle Education Program (scridered.org)

PREVIOUS GIGS: U.S. Air Force staff sergeant and electronics technician, emergency generator technician at the University of South Carolina and professional motorcycle mechanic

IN HIS GARAGE: A 1974 Norton Commando, three Moto Guzzis and a 2007 Benelli

OFF THE BIKE: Enjoys writing science fiction and growing hot peppers in his backyard garden

Like a matador facing down a bull, rider coach Joe Dawes stands in a vacant parking lot at Midlands Technical College’s Beltline Campus and signals a nervous new motorcyclist to do the unthinkable—accelerate straight at him.

As the gap between them closes, Dawes calmly signals the rider to veer right and (hopefully) avoid running over him. The rider cuts right, then left again—a little wobbly, but inside the assigned lane—and stops safely beside the instructor. With a patient smile that never wavers, Dawes gives the rider a few tips, a thumbs-up and a hearty “Good job!”

On any given weekend, you’re likely to find Dawes teaching Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) courses for riders of all skill levels. On days off, he’s probably on his beloved Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport, cruising the back roads of the Midlands with the European Motorcycle Club, or happily tinkering in his garage, tending to a small fleet of English and Italian bikes.

Riding has been a constant for Dawes since the age of 12 and his first throttle-twisting experience on a blue minibike powered by a lawnmower engine. From that moment, if he was going anywhere, he wanted to be on two wheels—whether it was across town or the epic rides he’s made across Greece, Turkey, Germany and the U.S.

“Unless I’m down for maintenance, it’s a motorcycle all the time. I ride everywhere—probably 20,000 miles a year,” he says. “Motorcycling has been the central theme of my life for quite a while.”